Kings dominate Hornets, halt three-game skid with 125-102 win

LaVine, Sabonis, and DeRozan combined for 71 points as the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 125-102 victory Friday over the Hornets in Charlotte.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Apr 4, 2025, 6:33 PM

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Riding a three-game losing streak, the Sacramento Kings secured a much-needed 125-102 win Friday night in the Spectrum Center.

Facing off against the 19-57 Charlotte Hornets without eight players, Doug Christie’s squad was heavily favored. Despite the home team jumping out to a narrow lead early, a 25-6 run that spanned from the end of the first quarter to start of the second changed the tides.

And the Kings never looked back from there, putting up 42 points in the second quarter as they cruised to a comfortable victory. Their bench was cleared around the midway point of the final frame.

LaVine (25), Sabonis (24), and DeRozan (22) combined for 71 points while shooting 49.5 percent from the field as a team. Committing just six turnovers on the night should appease Christie, too.

The win ends a three-game losing streak for the Kings (37-40), who continue their fight to remain in the play-in, potentially still competing for the ninth seed with the hobbled Dallas Mavericks.

Kings at Hornets Injury Report

Sacramento

Jake LaRavia – OUT (left thumb, bone contusion)
Jordan Mason – OUT (G-League)
Isaiah Crawford – OUT (G-League)

Charlotte

LaMelo Ball – OUT (right ankle)
Damion Baugh – OUT (left hip)
Josh Green – OUT (left shoulder)
Tre Mann – OUT (herniated disc)
Malcolm Brodgon – OUT (right wrist)
Nick Smith Jr. – OUT (left ankle)
Grant Williams – OUT (right ACL)
Mark Williams – OUT (thoracic)

Sacramento’s Starters: Keon Ellis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sabonis

Charlotte’s Starters: KJ Simpson, Seth Curry, DaQuan Jeffries, Miles Bridges, Jusuf Nurkic

Kings at Hornets Game Notes

Despite Charlotte’s slew of injuries, their hungry roster came out with good energy. Early on, the basketball being played was far from beautiful.

Inconsistent pace, turnovers, and missed three-pointers were damaging for both sides. Sabonis battled Nurkic in the paint, intending to score. It worked often, but the Hornets held a narrow, single-digit lead for a bit.

Dominant Domas went to work on this and-1 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/F4BCf3A4DF

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 4, 2025

And Murray made sure his presence was felt, impacting the game in a wide variety of aspects. From drawing charges, getting deflections, securing steals, to throwing pocket passes and snagging rebounds.

Momentum fully shifted in Sacramento’s favor with a lineup of DeRozan, Monk, Devin Carter, Trey Lyles, and Jonas Valanciunas.

Fitting DeRozan’s isolation game into their offensive flow seemed to have been a challenge recently, but that grouping allowed the all-time scorer to be the clear hub.

Not exactly rolling out a group of All-Defense players, there were plenty of mismatches he attacked. One of two “welcome to the NBA” moments may have taken place, as young players fell for DeRozan’s shot fakes, repeatedly sending him to the line.

Their first lead of the night (18-16) came with that group, which they extended to 26-18 in the Kings’ favor by the end of the opening frame.

Failing to convert any of their nine three-point attempts, their free-throw attempts, and rim pressure carried the way.

But the triples showed up in a hurry. Their first attempt of the second quarter went down, starting an avalanche of buckets.

From the 6:54 mark of the first to 10:42 in the second, Sacramento put together a 25-6 run. And they never looked back.

Malik drills a WIDE-open trey 💦 pic.twitter.com/RA8Fv1T2pX

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 4, 2025

Monk, who spent his first four seasons in Charlotte after the Hornets drafted the Kentucky product with the 11th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, might’ve had some added motivation Friday night.

Between him, Murray, and LaVine, their offense exploded. Their ball and player movement was complemented with an intentful pace, dominating the second.

Rookie Carter returned to the lineup after going down seconds into his stint in last Saturday’s action in Orlando.

From 0/9 on threes in the first to make six of their 11 attempts before halftime. Outscoring the Hornets 42-31 in the quarter, Sacramento held a 19-point lead (68-49) at the midway point.

Sabonis led the way with 18 points, eight rebounds, and size assists while Monk (15), DeRozan (13), and LaVine (10) all tallied double digits.

Both teams lived at the free-throw line, with Sacramento being 14/17 compared to Charlotte’s 14/16. DeRozan was 7/8 individually.

Owning a comfortable lead, facing a team with nothing to lose on the road, the Hornets weren’t going to roll over.

But the Kings continued to prove they are the significantly better team. Their bench pieces caught a spark.

Most notably, Trey Lyles, who knocked down three consecutive triples to extend their lead to 94-70 with one minute remaining in the frame.

Trey splashes his THIRD triple of the quarter ☔ pic.twitter.com/WFqpwrJBhB

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 5, 2025

Every time Charlotte attempted to put together a run, the Kings had an answer in the form of stops and buckets. Leading 98-72 with 12 minutes left to play, they were counting down to getting back in the win column.

Recovered from their slow start (0/9 3P), Sacramento was 11/28 from distance through three.

The play continued to play out in their favor, with most of the bench emptied halfway through the final quarter. Doug McDermott made his usual end-of-game three, and the Kings leave Charlotte with a 125-102 win.

LaVine (25), Sabonis (24), and DeRozan (22) combined for 71 points while shooting 49.5 percent from the field as a team. Committing just six turnovers on the night should appease Christie, too.

The win ends a three-game losing streak for the Kings (37-40), who continue their fight to remain in the play-in, potentially still competing for the ninth seed with the hobbled Dallas Mavericks.

Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings

Sunday, April 6th @ Cleveland Cavaliers – 3:00 PM PT
Monday, April 7th @ Detroit Pistons– 4:00 PM PT
Wednesday, April 9th vs. Denver Nuggets – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, April 11th vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 PM PT
Sunday, April 13th vs. Phoenix Suns – 12:30 PM PT (Final game of regular season)

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